RSC and the French Academy of Sciences: Genetically Modified Organisms

The level of public, political and scientiﬁc acceptance of genetically modiﬁed organisms (GMOs) for the production of food and ﬁber, as well as for diﬀerent aspects of human and animal health, varies considerably between countries. For example, the use of transgenic plans in agriculture is much greater in Canada and the United States than in many EU countries. Together with the French Academy of Sciences, RSC has organized a two day symposium on GMOs, to be held in Ottawa on the 22nd and 23rd of September, 2009. In addition to presentations discussing the perceived beneﬁts and dangers of using GMOs from a scientiﬁc perspective in both developed and developing countries, there will be talks addressing the political position of the French and Canadian Governments on the current and future use of GMOs. There will also be an analysis of the actions taken by the Canadian Government in response to the actions recommended in the 2000 RSC Expert Panel Report on GMOs in food biotechnology. Furthermore, scientiﬁc reporters from the press and radio/television will address the role of the media with respect to public opinion on the use of GMOs in such domains as agriculture and forestry. With the participation of over 20 of the world’s leading experts in GMOs, the symposium also intends to produce a joint statement of RSC and the French Academy of Sciences.